“We are expanding our current offering of alternative financial services because we see an increased demand for this type of product in our stores,” says 7-Eleven spokesperson. As part of its retail expansion plans, NetSpend Holdings Inc., a provider of general-purpose reloadable (GPR) prepaid debit cards and related financial services, announced that the PayPal Prepaid

With Ria PINless the prepaid account is automatically detected when calling from a registered telephone number, enabling customers to make international calls without the need to enter a PIN. epay, a division of Euronet Worldwide Inc. and a prepaid and payments processor in the U.S., in conjunction with its sister company Ria Financial Services (Ria),

The prepaid market is booming as retailers begin to capitalize on seasonal opportunities and serving the underbanked. By John Lofstock, Editor. The gift card market is rosy and analysts are poised for another strong year in 2012. In 2011, 80% of consumers planned on buying gift cards for the holiday season, up from 2010, and

CSD‘s 2012 Category Management Outlook offers trends and analysis from more than 25 key in-store categories. By John Lofstock and Erin Rigik. Tough economic times and stiff competition across the supply chain are making it critical for convenience store operators to have a solid understanding of their customers, particularly their high-frequency, high-value shoppers. Armed with

Mercator Advisory Group’s Prepaid Market Forecast 2011-2014 expects prepaid market growth to slow over the next four years as regulatory and economic issues, as well as saturation in segments including unemployment, impact the market. Open-loop loads are expected to total $281.7 billion in 2013, down $139.4 billion from last year’s forecast of $421.1 billion. “I

FuelCircle to initially leverage SVM’s relationships with BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Sunoco to create the first branded, nationwide network for the redemption of stored value fuel rewards. SVM LP, a global provider of gift cards and prepaid cards for businesses, announced today the formation of a new business unit that will utilize its core competencies

“Our partnership with Blackhawk Network will provide consumers with a quick and easy solution for all their gifting and telecom needs,” says QuikTrip spokesperson. QuikTrip Corp. has partnered with Blackhawk Network, a provider of prepaid and financial payments products for consumers and businesses, offering its award-winning Gift Card Mall in over 500 QuikTrip locations nationwide.

General purpose prepaid debit cards are rapidly gaining favor with consumers as an alternative to closed-loop gift cards. By John Lofstock, Editor. Sales of open-loop prepaid cards, issued by banks and credit card companies and able to be used at multiple establishments, are only going to go up as more consumers come to appreciate their

“When Sprint decided it needed a single solution for its prepaid independent distribution strategy, we committed the resources to building the tools and processes that would ensure Sprint’s success,” says epay spokesperson. epay, a division of Euronet Worldwide Inc.—a global electronic payments provider and distributor, has signed an exclusive agreement to process prepaid mobile airtime

“A better reward means more people are willing to take you up on your offer,” says Young America spokesperson. “The key for retailers is to then continue to market to that customer to ask them to spend that reward back at their location.” Customers respond better to retail offers that include general-use prepaid cards rather

nFinanSe Inc. has launch its $3 Reloadable Prepaid Discover Cards at Memphis-Tenn.-based Fred’s Hometown Discount Stores, a regional chain of stores located in the Southeast and Midwest. The cards sell for just $3 and the reload fee and monthly maintenance fee are only $2.95, the ATM withdrawal fee is an industry low 99 cents, and

Congress has passed the ECO-Gift CARD Act (H.R. 5502), which will avoid the destruction of more than 100 million plastic cards and ensure consumer access to these popular gifts during the busy holiday shopping season, The Network Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA) reported. The act extends the Aug. 22, 2010 gift card implementation deadline,

Visa Inc. and Marathon Oil Corporation are rolling out Visa ReadyLink—Visa’s prepaid reload network—in 4,000 Marathon Brand retail stations. To date the service has rolled out to approximately 2,000 locations, with the remainder expected to be active by the end of 2010. Marathon markets through approximately 4,600 branded locations in 18 states in the Midwest

nFinanSe Inc., a reloadable prepaid card provider, is reducing its fees to cardholders for ATM withdrawals and also for electronic bill pay transactions. The company believes that these reductions will encourage greater trial and usage of its Visa and Discover Reloadable Prepaid Cards and promote greater retention among cardholders. The company stated that it is

The major prepaid areas c-store retailers are going to want to watch over the next year are general purpose reloadable cards (GPR), both open and closed loop gift cards, and cards for digital media, game and ring tones. The economy especially has spurred the growth of GPR products. “You’re going to see more folks buying

TOP PERFORMERS PaySpot (dba epay) Coinstar HONORABLE MENTIONS Incomm First Data Prepaid services are changing the way customers do business. Low-income families, unbanked and underbanked customers, students, those with poor credit and customers that spend much of their time on the road are among those taking advantage of prepaid debit cards and bill services that

Prepaid cards have been used in the U.S. for about 20 years, and forward-thinking marketers continue finding new ways to use and promote them. This is a boon for convenience retailers, many of whom have been instrumental in growing the category. Prepaid cards were invented in Europe in the mid-70s when Italians found themselves short

TOP PERFORMERS PaySpot Inc. Coinstar Inc. Verizon HONORABLE MENTIONS InComm AT&T With the economy bogged down in a recession and job losses at the highest levels in decades, spooked consumers are no doubt learning to live on less—less money, less credit and less frivolity. Prepaid solutions—whether it’s wireless sales, debit card transactions, gift cards and

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